5 Ways to Create a Stronger Homepage
Almost every client I deal with has a website. They don’t just need a new website, they need to build from the foundation that they currently have. I provide fundamental feedback that helps engage my clients to put them in the drivers seat. This process helps create a website that we are both satisfied with and ultimately will make their website a more successful tool to drive business.
Here are 5 ways to create a stronger homepage:
1. Logo and brand tagline - It’s important to have a prominent logo with your brand tagline directly underneath. You do not want visitors to wonder what your company name is and what your main principle is all about. This should be placed in the top left hand corner for best visiabilty.
2. Structured Navigation - There should be two parts to your website navigation: Main navigation and supporting navigation.
- Main Navigation - The main navigation consists of your primary website pages. They should be ordered by importance from left to right starting with the page you want to draw the most traffic to.
- Supporting Navigation - The supporting navigation are the items that you want to bring less attention to but still provide important information (i.e. Contact Us, Home, Sitemap, etc). Make sure your supporting navigation doesn’t overpower the main navigation.
When naming the different navigation links, be sure to use verbiage that someone who isn’t familiar with your services or products can relate to. For example, if you have a product called ChrisMax LE 2.1 which allows a person to create widgets automatically, name the navigation link ‘Widget Automation’ instead of ‘ChrisMax LE 2.1′. Your product names relate to your company, not to your new website visitors.
3. Main Header & Power Phrasing - A main header graphic with imagery relating to your product or service can help bring an instant connection with your company and the website visitor. This, partnered with a strong power phrase with a short message you want to convey about your offerings can strengthen the connection.
4. Well-Balanced Content - Your homepage should provide the strongest delivery among any other page of your website. Having more than 4-6 lines of content will begin to clutter the homepage and take away from your logo, your power phrasing, and ways to make a purchasing decision. Provide a short, introductory amount of content which will lead visitors to other pages in your website.
5. Strong Calls to Action - Calls to Action are graphics that support items in your main navigation. If your blog is your biggest attraction on your website, support this with a graphic of a person writing or typing with bold text that says ‘View Our Blog’. If a visitor misses the ‘blog’ link in your main navigation, the call to action will provide another way for the visitor to visit that page. Do not include more than three call to action on your homepage- more than three will give the appearance of spammy website.
These 5 basic homepage adjustments can radically tranform your website from an unstructured page of information to a dynamic tool to drive new business. You want to convey who you are, what you sell, and a strong way to make a purchasing decision quickly and these suggestions will help you do that.
